Dear esteemed VDMIS members,
Hello from a new mom! Just 6 weeks after giving birth to my
daughter, I managed to make it to the TESOL conference in Baltimore and
enjoyed representing the VDMIS community on four panels. In our VDMIS
academic session, Kenneth Chyi, Scott Duarte, and I reviewed the use of
classroom media from past to present. The other three InterSection
panels VDMIS participated in were in collaboration with the Materials
Writers IS, Computer-Assisted Language Learning IS, English for Specific
Purposes IS, and English as a Foreign Language IS. It was wonderful to
be able to network with colleagues in other specialties on a variety of
video-related topics, including best practices for teaching online,
effectively utilizing video in ESP courses, and making the most of
mobile apps in an EFL context. As you well know, the use of video has
become pervasive and touches nearly every teaching context, which has in
turn led to more teachers being interested in learning how to create
their own videos.
In our annual VDMIS meeting at TESOL, Elke Stappert from the
New York Public Library joined us and agreed to be chair-elect. I am
excited about the video experience and energy she brings to our
community. Together, Elke and I hope to provide helpful and empowering
videos as well as discussions that draw on the wealth of experience and
knowledge within our community in order to target how teachers can
create and use videos effectively. To encourage even more participation
in our community, we urge you to join our Facebook group (TESOL
VDMIS), watch for our listserv emails announcing videos posted
to TESOL’s
YouTube channel, and subscribe for free to TESOL’s YouTube
channel to receive updated content. I hope these platforms make it more
convenient for you to not only post questions and comments but to
receive answers quickly. The VDMIS community can be your most useful
resource as a novice or experienced film maker and user, so take
advantage of the expert and useful advice you can receive from fellow
teachers!
The first VDMIS video, “Teachers’ Video
Set-Ups,” features four TESOL presenters who create their own
videos sharing the equipment and setup they use. Check out the video and
leave a comment or question below it. If you have a topic you would
like to have a variety of perspectives on, please send me an email or
post your suggestion on our Facebook
page.
I hope to create easier ways for us all to network in this
coming year and look forward to hearing from you, so please join the
conversation, even if it is just to say, “Thanks, that was helpful!”
Wishing you much teaching success,
Julie Lopez
Julie Lopez has been an instructor at the
University of Delaware English Language Institute (UD ELI) since August
2007 and has created and been teaching a course called English Though
Viewing and Producing Films. She has also led teacher-training workshops
on student video projects, created promotional videos, and coordinated a
program helping students transition to the university. Her work, which
includes sample projects for students, videos for language practice, and
program videos, can be viewed on her YouTube
channel and on the UD ELI YouTube
channel. |